Angiopoietin-2 is required for postnatal angiogenesis and lymphatic patterning, and only the latter role is rescued by Angiopoietin-1.

Journal article

VEGF and Angiopoietin-1 requisitely collaborate during blood vessel development. While Angiopoietin-1 obligately activates its Tie2 receptor, Angiopoietin-2 can activate Tie2 on some cells, while it blocks Tie2 activation on others. Our analysis of mice lacking Angiopoietin-2 reveals that Angiopoietin-2 is dispensable for embryonic vascular development but is requisite for subsequent angiogenic remodeling. Unexpectedly, mice lacking Angiopoietin-2 also exhibit major lymphatic vessel defects. Genetic rescue with Angiopoietin-1 corrects the lymphatic, but not the angiogenesis, defects, suggesting that Angiopoietin-2 acts as a Tie2 agonist in the former setting, but as an antagonist in the latter setting. Our studies define a vascular growth factor whose primary role is in postnatal angiogenic remodeling and also demonstrate that members of the VEGF and Angiopoietin families collaborate during development of the lymphatic vasculature.

Authors: Gale, N; Thurston, G; Hackett, S; Renard, R; Wang, Q

• Publication status: Published
• Journal: Developmental cell
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 411-423
• Publication date: 2002-09-01
• DOI: 10.1016/s1534-5807(02)00217-4
• EISSN: 1878-1551
• ISSN: 1534-5807
• Language: English
• Keywords: Retinal Vessels; Mice, Knockout; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents; Lymphatic System; Gene Targeting; Body Patterning; Edema; Angiopoietin-1; DNA, Complementary; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Mice; Neovascularization, Physiologic; Chylous Ascites; Angiopoietin-2; Eye; Membrane Glycoproteins; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Animals; Homozygote